We, the Kings
by The Lady Avaritia
Summary: Rodolphus and Bella are happily married. Rabastan is sinking deeper and deeper, and on St.Valentine's Day it all comes crashing both for him and Rod. 'Right,Rab, thank you for being in love with my wife.'During First War, NOT incest.


**Title:** We, The Kings

**Rating: M**  
><strong>Spoilers: G<strong>eneral

**Characters**: Rod, Rab, Bella

**Summary: Rodolphus and Bella are happily married. Rabastan is sinking deeper, and deeper, and on St. Valentine's Day it all comes crashing both for him and Rod.** **'Right, Rab, thank you for being in love with my wife.'**

**Disclaimer: **disclaimed

**Author Note: For the Anti-Valentine's Day Competition on the HPFC forums.**

**Author: **_Lady Avaritia_

Rabastan has been drinking again. He walks into the living room, his brown eyes hard and exhausted, and his sharp handsome face twisted in an ugly bitter smile.

'Happy Single Awareness Day!' he declares with false mirth, his voice practically dripping ill intent.

'Where have you been?' Rodolphus demands.

'Celebrating, of course. You know, desperation day, the 13th of February, when all the single women are in dingy bars crying over their spinsterhood and hoping a dashing man will sweep them of their feet so that they'll have someone to spend St. Valentine's Day with. The thing is to always leave the house of the desperate chick you banged right before midnight… so that you can proudly say you're a free man on Single Awareness Day… and leave the random lady in post-orgasmic shocks, her faith in good men completely destroyed. Of course, I needen't explain this to you, because up until two years ago we used to do it together. So now, I guess I should wish you a Happy St. Valentine's Day, instead of Single Awareness. So, dear brother, Happy St. Valentine's Day.'

Rodolphus watches as his younger brother saunters gracefully over to the liquor bar, and pours himself a gracious amount of the amber fire whiskey in a crystal glass.

'Cheers,' he says, his voice still laced with bitter mockery, and raises the glass. His eyes, dulled with the effects of one too many drinks, reflect the almond burning of the alcohol. Rabastan's silk dark shirt is messy, untucked, buttoned in an obvious hurry, and leaving his neck, covered in bite marks and red lipstick, quite visible.

'You were with that vampire menace again, weren't you? The blonde one?'

'She's not a natural blonde.'

'God, Rabastan!'

'That's what she said too.'

Rodolphus' anger boiled at that point. All his frustrations at his brother finally spilling through the cracks of his perfect Slytherin composure. He hit his brother. Hard. Much harder than he intended, seeing as Rab toppled over, and crashed to the ground, his untouched glass breaking into hundreds of clear pieces that reflected the light of the fire.

'Get a fucking grip over yourself, Rabastan Claude Lestrange! You are pure blood wizard in service of the Dark Lord. You should be focusing on making something out of your life, you should be trying to find a respectable pureblood wife to bear you children, and fulfill your duty towards the family! Not go whoring about with your… distractions!'

Rabastan licked the blood from his full lips, eyes darkening with anger. Cold fury settled over his mind, and anger wrapped bony fingers over his heart.

'You, Rodolphus Jean Lestrange, should be grateful for my… distractions. They keep me from going after what I actually want.'

'Right, Rab, thank you for being in love with my wife.'

Rabastan spat blood and saliva on the marble floor among the shattered glass.

'You're welcome, asshole. Get out, and enjoy a night out with the woman _I_ loved, and _I_ should have married. Happy fucking St. Valentine's Day.'

Rod stood, staring down at the mess he'd made on the floor. The mess he'd made of his brother.

'Well, what are you waiting for? GET THE FUCK OUT!'

He did, slowly walking out, and he closed the door behind him carefully. As he leaned against the intricately carved wood, he heard something heavy smash against the other side, and a strangled half sob, half cry come from Rabastan's cracked lips.

~x~

He and Bellatrix walked quietly into the silent mansion. They were both slightly buzzed from the expensive wine they're drunk, and thrills danced under their skin, after a night of dancing, secret touches, and not-so-secret kisses, boldly, in public.

'Let's get you to bed, beautiful. I need my beauty sleep, so that I don't look like garbage compared to you,' Rodolphus murmured against Bella's ear, as he helped her out of her coat, and made sure to wrap his arms around her thin waist. She giggled in his shoulder, and looked up to meet his eyes.

Through a haze of smiles, kisses and whispered giggles, with a bit of stumbling over the grand staircase, they reached their bedroom.

She kissed him feverishly, almost desperately, and he kissed back with as much vigor, impatiently tearing at her dress to reveal the milky skin underneath. She landed on the soft solver silk of the bed, and he crawled on top of her, kissing his way up from her navel to the clasp of her black lace bra, and then moving immediately to capture her lips.

She buried her fingers in his locks of auburn hair, her long nails scratching him.

'I fucking love you, Rod,' she whimpered as he lightly bit her shoulder, and it made her sink her nails in his muscled back hard enough to draw blood.

'Bite me again,' she whispered, and writhed under him.

He did, this time harder, and her moans were almost enough to drown the mental images of Rabastan's neck when he'd retuned home.

~x~

Rodolphus walked out of the master bathroom, still dripping with hot water, a towel hanging low on his lips. He passed the bedroom, where Bellatrix was snuggled between the silk sheets, asleep, and walked slowly towards Rabastan's part of the floor.

Rab had sealed off the entrance to the rooms he used with a set of elaborate ebony doors that now loomed in front of his brother like a threat, like a death sentence.

Eventually he pushed in. He had not taken his wand, and he sincerely hoped Rabastan wouldn't make him regret it. Through the dim lit hallway he walked until he reached the bedroom Rab occupied, and where no one, save for Rod, was allowed entrance.

He pushed the door slowly, and peeked in. The putrid smell of whiskey and tobacco nearly choked him upon entrance, but he forced himself to enter anyway. It was difficult to make out anything in the dark, and he almost stepped on an empty bottle rolling on the floor. The bed was messy, but empty. There was no obvious sign of life in the room, and Rodolphus briefly considered the possibility that Rab, in his anger, had left on one of his week long drinking and gambling raves, and wouldn't be back for a while. Or he was at a vampire whorehouse, getting bitten for pleasure, as had a become a common practice among some. They said that a vampire's bite could bring exquisite pleasure. He shook his head and turned to exit, but was startled by the sound of a soft, obviously stifled moan.

He turned immediately around, and waved his hand aimlessly to conjure some light.

In the farthest corner of the room Rabastan, still in the clothes he'd worn the afternoon, had curled in on himself, as if attempting to make himself as small as possible and become one with the wall.

'Rab?' he whispered tentatively. 'Little brother?'

Rabastan looked up at his brother, his chocolate eyes wide, and face distorted with pain and anguish. His lower lip had swollen, and there was a sizeable bruise on the side of his face that brought back painful memories of years passed, when they were still young, and their father-still alive.

'R-rod?' he rasped out weakly.

'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.' Rodolphus dropped on his knees and opened his arms for his brother, without actually touching him. 'I should not have… oh, Slytherin, I should not have touched you, I should not have said these things, I shouldn't have… I'm so sorry I hurt you, Rab, please, I'm so sorry.'

'Rod. Brother.' Rabastan felt the heat of the other man's body, as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around his neck. 'You sounded just like him, Rod. You sounded just like Father.'

'I know. I know. And I'm so sorry, so sorry… I just… I can't… I love her too, Rab, and I also love you, and father wanted me to marry first, and I couldn't have said no, and I'm so sorry, and I should have said so in the very beginning, because I know you're hurting, just please don't hate me like we hated him, please, Rab, I wouldn't bear it.'

'Then… don't ever become him, Rod. Promise me that, and I promise… I won't hate you… for anything.'

'It's a promise, little brother, it's a promise. I'll never be our father. I'll always be there for you, to keep you safe… from yourself.'

He picked Rabastan easily off the floor, noticing with slight worry how light his brother seemed. Then again, Rab had always had a leaner, more slender build than him. Rodolphus laid his brother gently on the pillows and pulled the Slytherin green comforter over him.

Rabastan seemed half-asleep anyway, alcohol and exhaustion, working diligently to cloud his mind.

His brother was at the door already, when

'Rod?'

'Yes?'

'Happy St. Valentine's Day to you and Bella. Will you tell her from me?'

'Yes, Rab. Of course.'


End file.
